Governor Cuomo Issues Update on Hudson Valley Storm Recovery Efforts

Governor Andrew Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the status of storm recovery operations in the Hudson Valley as a second winter storm is being forecasted to impact New York later this week. Last week's storm caused extensive damage to electric utility infrastructure, including hundreds of broken utility poles and damage in remote, hard-to-reach locations. This has made the completion of restoration efforts extremely challenging, especially in the face of a second storm, however power outages have continued to steadily decrease.

Currently, more than 121,500 customers remain without power, 89 percent of which are located in Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan and Westchester Counties. New York's utilities have a total of 4,910 in-house workers and contractors in New York or en route. This includes 1,300 out-of-state line and tree workers from Canada, Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Texas, Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Louisiana, Vermont, Iowa and Wisconsin that will be dedicated to restoration efforts in the hardest hit areas in Hudson Valley.

"Winter is not done yet, and many are still reeling from last week's major storm which knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers," Governor Cuomo said. "As we continue to deploy our personnel and resources, we thank those from other states and nations for their assistance during this time. We will not rest until the job is done and I urge everyone to make sure they have their own supplies ready before the first snow falls, in the event of additional power outages."

A Nor'easter is forecast for the eastern portions of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for the Mid-Hudson Valley Region for Wednesday morning through Thursday morning. This storm will bring an additional 6 to 12 inches of heavy, wet snow to the region with higher amounts of 12 to 18 inches in the eastern Catskills. Sustained winds out of the east/northeast of 15 mph - 25 mph with gusts of 40 mph are possible and combined with accumulating snow, will cause additional power outages from downed limbs on power lines. Travel will be difficult, especially during the evening commute Wednesday, due to low visibility and slippery roads. 

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Source: The Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo